Drink-driver caused £4,000 damage to garden wall

A DRINK-driver with no licence or insurance caused thousands of pounds worth of property damage.
Daniel John Hope, of Beeches Avenue, Gobowen, drove his father’s work van while nearly three times over the legal limit, without a licence and insurance and crashed in to a garden wall and iron gates causing damage amounting to approximately £4,000.
He also caused £2,000 worth damage to two cars.
A tearful Hope, 28, was given a 12-month community order at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Sara Beddow, prosecuting, said that at 5.30pm on May 16, Hope had gone to the pub after working with his father.
At 7pm, Hope’s father left the pub and realised his son had already gone.
He returned to his home on Cherry Tree Drive to find his LDV Maxus work van had gone.
A resident of Cherry Tree Drive heard the noise of an engine outside her home at 7.30pm and moments later the van, driven by Hope, crashed into her garden wall and iron gates, spreading debris across the garden and damaging the paint work of her Mazda3 car parked in the driveway.
A Peugeot 107 car parked next door was also damaged as well as a lamppost which was knocked down.
When arrested, Hope admitted to officers he had been drinking, that he held a provisional licence and did not have permission from his father to take the van.
Ceri Lewis, defending, said Hope admitted he had drunk “four or five” pints with his father and had not eaten since breakfast.
He added that he could not remember leaving the pub and the next thing he knew, he was being restrained in his father’s van.
Mrs Lewis said her client had offered no excuse or explanation and was “thoroughly ashamed” and wanted to apologise.
In addition, Hope’s counsel indicated that he had begun to repair the damaged wall with his father.
As part of the 12-month community order, Hope was ordered to complete 150-hours unpaid work and was disqualified from driving for three years.